North Carolina Downs Duke in Rivalry Dual Meet
The North Carolina Tar Heels continued their impressive season with matching dual meet victories over rival Duke, with the UNC men dominating by a score of 211-81.5 while the women came out on top in a closer affair, 178-114.
The UNC men began their dominant day with a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 medley relay. The team of Walker Davis, Ben Delmar, PJ Foy and Louis Dramm combined for a time of 1:24.37 to take the win. Davis picked up an individual win in the 100 backstroke (46.28), and Delmar blasted a time of 52.98 to win the 100 breaststroke. Delmar doubled up with a win in the 200 breast (1:54.46) while Dramm claimed first in the 200 back (1:45.07).
In the 1000 freestyle, Brady Begin took the win in 9:07.27, followed by Sebastian Lunak winning the 200 free in 1:36.60. Colin Whelehan took first in the 200 fly (1:44.52), followed by Martin Kartavi taking the 50 free (19.70) and Patrick Hussey grabbing first in the 100 free (43.83). Keith Williams dominated the 500 free (4:26.36) while Boyd Poelke took first in the 100 fly in 45.94.
Delmar rounded out his fantastic day with a top time of 1:47.42 in the 200 IM, and the best 400 free relay belonged to the UNC team of Foy, Nate Hohm, TJ Smid and Kartavi, with a time of 2:54.89. In diving, Rodolfo Vázquez Montaño placed first on 1-meter (320.93) while Duke’s lone win came from Charlie Berman on 3-meter (353.55).
The women’s contest was more competitive, but North Carolina stacked individual wins to put Duke out of reach. Lily Reader opened up with a top finish in the 1000 free (9:54.89), followed by wins from Georgia Nel in the 200 free (1:46.54), Greer Pattison in the 100 back (51.66) and Mary Macaulay in the 200 fly (1:56.29).
Nel earned her second win of the day in the 100 free (48.38), and Emma Karam led the field in the 200 back (1:54.72). Aislin Farris took first in the 500 free (4:48.21), and Lily Sawyer won the 100 fly (53.29). Macaulay had the top time in the 200 IM, and veteran diver Aranza Vázquez Montaño swept 1-meter (324.15) and 3-meter (362.33). Pattison, Nel, Skyler Smith and Elizabeth Sowards won the 400 free relay in 3:15.90.
For the Blue Devils, the team of Ali Pfaff, Kaelyn Gridley, Kyanh Truong and Tatum Wall won the 200 medley relay by three hundredths in a time of 1:35.11. Gridley would double up with wins in the 100 breast (58.14) and 200 breast (2:08.75), and Wall captured first place in the 50 free (22.15).